Harvesting and thinning in orchards involve intensive fruit transport, which is inefficient and burdensome, particularly in mountainous and hilly areas. Heavy vehicles can damage soils and roots, whereas manual transport is labor-intensive. We developed a quadruped robot system capable of stable walking on uneven terrain. Equipped with detachable harvest baskets, an electric basket for discarded fruit, and voice-command control, the system enhances efficiency and enables sustainable orchard management in challenging landscapes.
Kataoka et al. (Sun,) studied this question.